Before we begin, here are four important FAQs:
Q: Can I watch this without watching the TV series?
A: No, watch the two seasons of TV series first. They’re all very closely related.
Q: Apparently there is this Side Story called Liz to Aoi Tori, should I watch it first?
A: It’s not mandatory, but I hugely suggest you to watch it first. It actually enhances some parts of this movie.
Q: Is it worth it to watch the TV series and Liz movie just to watch this one?
A: In short, the TV series and Liz movie are actually better than this movie.
Q: Does this review contain spoiler?
A: No.
And so, here we begin with the review.
Taking place after the end of Hibike! Euphonium 2, our familiar characters have now gone up a grade. Characters with blue ribbons are now third year students, characters with red ribbons are now second year students, and characters with green ribbons have now been replaced with fresh new faces of new first year students.
Replacing old characters that the viewers might have already attached to is without doubt a bold move. After all the time spent to develop the characters, then outright replacing them with new characters and having to convince the viewers to like the new characters, it can be very hard to pull off and might be one of the reasons why series with school setting rarely cover more than one year. However, when you noticed that the studio that helm the production of this movie is Kyoto Animation, the studio that have produced massive hits over massive hits like Clannad, Haruhi, K-On!, Free!, Violet Evergarden, and many more, you just can’t help but feel confident they might be able to pull it off.
Unfortunately though, if I have to describe it with one word, Hibike! Euphonium Movie: Chikai no Finale is frustrating.
If you’ve already watched the TV series and Liz movie as I suggested at the beginning, by now you should’ve have familiarised yourself with Kyoto Animation’s direction and production quality. There’s just no complain regarding them. The direction, animation, character movement, soundtrack, voice acting, background art, camera movement, every little detail, there’s just no compain about them. They are all produced in high quality. However, doesn’t matter how much you polish it, when the plot is weak, it’s bound to be a weak movie.
Chikai no Finale has a weak storyline and being a movie instead of TV series really doesn’t help at all.
The main idea about Chikai no Finale is to showcase the development of the characters after the events in the previous TV series, mainly the development of the protagonist, Oumae Kumiko. The story focuses mostly on Kumiko and the new first year students with Kumiko helping them integrate with the club by helping them with their issues. While it sounds like typical Hibike! Euphonium plot (Kumiko sticks her nose into other people’s problem), unlike the previous drama, the problem with this new set of drama is how underdeveloped they are and as a result seem trivial, unnatural, and overdramatic.
In the end, even Kyoto Animation can’t showcase the best of them through this movie. Having to introduce new characters, setup the drama, establish the plot, resolve the conflicts, all while also have to show the older characters’ development and the obligatory festival and competition in a very limited timeframe, proves to be a very tough hurdle. They have to condense this much content into a movie that doesn’t even last 2 hours.
I have a feeling that if the plot is given more time to develop, it can actually be decent. With this limited time frame, it ends up being a pile of rush jobs instead, skipping from one thing to another very quickly, before the viewers can even develop a feeling towards the new characters and empathise with their issues.
With that being said, this movie is not all bad. In fact, many of the points above are done very well. I find myself loving the new third years because of this movie, which I’ll end up be disappointed because they have to graduate, which means that I won’t see them again if there’s a sequel. The performance they do in this movie absorbs me deeply that I found myself nodding following the rhythm and who knows how many times I have listened to it again and again afterwards.
Repeating myself once again, this movie is not bad at all, but can it be better?
Absolutely.
I can’t help but think there’s room for improvement, especially in the storyline, the buildup, and the pacing. This is why instead of bad, I describe this movie as frustrating.
So, in conclusion, should you watch the movie?
Depends.
Do you like Hibike! Euphonium and want to see more of the characters?
If no, feel free to skip this movie. You’re not going to love Hibike! Euphonium because of this movie. If the first 2 seasons of the TV series failed to attract you, nothing else would be able to.
However, if yes, you should watch it. Not to mention there will be a sequel that covers about Kumiko in her third year and before you watch that, this movie is definitely a mandatory. So, enjoy the movie and wait for the next piece that will begin shortly.
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